Improved eailwai switch



ILFETERS, FHOTO-UTHOGRPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

"wur-fren s* s @with tetris stent @ffice IMPRVED RAILWAY SWlGH.

Tela Stlirhulr meint in in tiges ritcrfi ntent :un mating part nf tige simu,

'TO ALL WHOM I'l MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JAMES MGLAUGHLIN, of Duncannon, in the county of Perry, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Railroad Switch; and I do hereby declare that thc following is a full. clear, and exact dcscril'ition thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to mak-e and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a. new and improved railroad switch, whereby I am enabled to dispense with the use of frogs, and a very reliable switch obtained. This invention is an improvement on a switch previously invented by me, and the snbjebt ot' another application. vThe present invention consists chiefly in the employment or use of elastic switch-rails in lieu of the pivoted rails hitherto used, .and in a novel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully shown and described. In the accompanying sheet oi' drawings Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my invention.

Figure 2, a transverse section of the same taken in the line xx, lig. l, and looking in the direction indicated by arrow l.

Figure a sectional plan or top view of a portion'ol' the switch-rails.

Figure 4, a transverse section oi' the switch-rails taken in the line y y, tig. l.

Similar letters ot" reference indicate corresponding parts.

A A re )resent thc rails of a main track, and B `B the rails of a branch track. C C re resent the switchrails, placed ou the tics in V-iorux, and connected at their diverging ends to three ties, E, by means of spikes, a. The spiked portion of the switch-rails extend about one third of their length. The converging ends of thev switch-rails are connected together by a bolt, F, which passes through an oblong slot, b, in said ends of the ra.ils,

as shown clearly in fig. 'lhe portion of the switch-rails included between the connected ends and the spikedI portion, and which comprises about two-thirds of their length, is the yielding or spring portion, the elasticity being snilicient to admit of the connected ends o't' the rails being brought or adjusted in line with the inner main or inner branch rail as desired, and these connected ends ot' the switch-rails work in a chair, G, attached to a tie, H; said chair being constructed with a slot, e, of such a width as to admitot' this movement of the switchrails, and at the same time serre to limit the movement of the same so that they cannot be adjusted beyond cithcr of the inner rails of the main and branch tracks. "his will be fully understood by referring to fig. 1. The elastic ordis'engaged portions of lthe switch-rails are connected by cross-rods, d, the ends of the latter titting in oblong hotes, L17-4:, in the 1'ails,to admit ot; a free working or springing'oi' the fails in adjusting them. These crossrods arc provided at each end with a shoulder to bear against the inner sides oi' the rails, said shoulders being'v formed by the tenons on the cross-rods,which tenons pass into4 the holes. For the same reason the slotJL,l in` `the ends oi' the rails C, through which thc bolt E passes, is made oblong. The switch-rails, at a point near their.

connected ends, are attached to a sliding bar, I, one end of which is connected to a crank,.e, on a shaft, J, and the opposite end passing underneath a bar,f, attached to the tie H and to an 'adjoining tie, K. This barfpre- -vc-nts the sliding bar I from moving vertically, and keeps the connected ends of the rails C snugly down on the tie H within 'the slot c in the chair G. Besides the slotted chair Gr spikes are driven into the tie'K, and into the two adjoining ties L L, to prevent an undue movement ot' the switch-rails either to the right or left,I by springing or spreading, a contingency which might occur under the action of4 the wheels of a locomotive. By this arrangement it will be seen that the switch-rails C C may be adjusted either in line with the main or the branch track, and in case the switch-rails Eze adjusted in line with the branch track, thesn'itch-rails will be ont ot' parirllel with the outer rail oi' the main track, the former being nearer the outer rail ot' the main track at their free or disengaged ends', -so that in case a train be moving on the main track in thedirection indicated by arrow and the .switch-rails in line with the branch track the switch-rails will under the action oi' the wheels of the locomotive be moved in line with the 'main track.' The same result will attend the moving of a trainen the brunch track when the switch is in liuc withthe main track.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The movable elastic frogr continuons with and forming part of the adjoining rails C C, their converging slotted ends joined together in the slotted chair G, by means of the bolt F, their elastic or disengaged:portion connected together by means of the cross-rod d, in combination with the main rails ATA, branchg rails B B, and operated by means of the crank e and sliding bar I, substantially as herein shown and describedforthe`purpose specilicd.

JAMES MCLA UGIL'IN,

Witnesses WM. C. Klxc, WlLLiAM Comisrocx. 

